I am the Good Guy
by fullmetal53
Summary: Alvin has always been the troublemaker. The one who leaps before he looks. Lately the problems have gotten worse and Alvin's relationship with his brothers and Dave is beginning to suffer. Will he be able to sort it out before he disconnects with his family completely?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people!**

**I've decided to try my hand at writing a bit. Nothing fancy. It will probably be a short story but who knows?  
**

**Anywho, if you would kindly leave a review, likes or dislikes, I would be most appreciative.  
**

**Other than that, please enjoy!  
**

Alvin stood in the center of the living room, eyes cast down at the hardwood floor, hands tucked into his bright red hoody which donned his signature "A". Right in front of him was Dave, giving Alvin the look of disappointment and thinly veiled frustration with which Alvin has become so familiar as of late.

"You started a food fight?!" To say he was livid was an egregious understatement. This incident was simply the last in a very long line of rambunctiousness all courtesy of one Alvin Seville. First, there was the "incident" in his "Introduction to Baked Goods" course which he shares with Theodore (though Alvin swears he didn't choose it on purpose). Poor Mrs. Osgood, who was actually standing in for Mr. Rice who was absent that day, mysteriously became violently ill after trying one of Alvin's cookies. Then there was the issue with the alleged "bullies" who (apparently) constantly picked fights with him. So he defended himself...by beating the living tar out of each of them, earning him two weeks suspension. This was a bargain considering that the injuries inflicted on those kids by him were grounds for expulsion. Then there was that basketball player in the gym after school, (Ryan or Renald; something like that) that he just couldn't walk away from after he called both him and his brothers "fags". Alvin's refusal to discuss the details of the altercation was perfectly aligned with Dave' unwillingness to listen at that juncture. Unlike Alvin's apparent propensity for bad behavior, Dave's patience was slowly but surely dissipating.

"Alvin, you're thirteen. You know better than this!" Very seldom did Dave allow himself the privilege of an elevated tone, but enough was enough. "What's the story this time, hmm? Did they call your potatoes stupid? Or maybe they were looking at your Salisbury steak the wrong way?"

Though this routine was par for the course as far as Alvin was concerned, he was actually hurt by that comment. It wasn't as though he enjoyed making trouble for people. He just thought it was appropriate to defend his brothers when they weren't there to defend themselves. It didn't help however that his brothers didn't substantiate his claims when they were the targets of bullies. Alvin couldn't for the life of him figure out why. The worst part about all of this, even worse than being perpetually grounded for the past several weeks, was that Dave simply didn't believe Alvin's "good reasons" anymore. For as long as he could remember, Dave was always there for ALL of them. He could talk to him without fear of judgment or ridicule. Lately however, their relationship had become rather tumultuous due in no small part to these disruptions.

Despite his anger towards Dave and his uncharacteristically flippant attitude concerning Alvin's point of view, all he could do was bore a hole into the wooden floor with his eyes.

"Well its time to discuss you punishment. Obviously you are still grounded. T.V and video games are out of the question until further notice. Finally..." At this point, had Alvin been looking at Dave, he would've realized to his surprise that Dave actually visibly hesitated before continuing. "...You will not be performing at the festival this weekend."

Alvin looked up at his father with an unfamiliar expression hopelessness and indignation. "No...Dave please anything but that! I-I'll do all the dishes, I'll do Theo's and Simon's chores! Please it's the only thing that..."

Dave gently raised his hand to interrupt him. "Alvin stop. You don't get to choose your punishments." He took a moment to sigh and rub the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. "I'm sorry that it's come to this, I really am. But sooner or later, you're just going to have to learn that actions have consequences even IF you mean well. Now, finish your homework. Then it's dinner time and bed for you. "

Being thirteen didn't really lend itself well to tears. Despite this however, Alvin had considerable trouble keeping himself together in front of Dave. As he walked past his caretaker, Alvin was powerless to stop the silent tears from falling. _Just make it up the stairs without making noise, _he thought to himself almost frantically. As he reached the top of the stairs he turned to the corner to his room only to find his beloved brothers eavesdropping on the fall of the proverbial ax.

There he stood, though only for a few seconds, in horror. _They watched the whole thing...they watched and did nothing. Again._Feeling the last piece of his heart breaking, Alvin shoved past both of them slamming the door to his room shut. As Simon and Theodore exchanged worried glances, Simon began making his way to Alvin's room when his youngest brother grabbed his hand.

"Maybe we should wait a bit. Ya know, to let him cool off a bit." Though Simon understood Theo to be speaking more from fear than wisdom, he decided it was the best course of action. Tomorrow was a Saturday after all, he would have plenty of time to talk to him. That is, if Alvin would even listen.

As soon as Alvin closed the door to his room, secure in the solitude provided by his four walls, he laid on his bed and sobbed as loud as he dared into his pillow. It seemed like everything he did, no matter how hard he tried, just made Dave's life more difficult. _Dave has every right to be ashamed of me at this point. _But taking away the one chance he's had to perform ANYWHERE in months? He couldn't understand. If only his father understood how barbaric such a decision was. When he was on stage performing, the whole crowd screaming, chanting and dancing, it was the only time during which he felt like Dave wasn't ashamed of him. The only time where he could actually make his father feel _proud_. As he slowly but surely ran out of tears, he whispered into his pillow ever so softly: "Does he even still love me?" He quickly let sleep overtake him, afraid that his pillow would soon answer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Firstly: I just want to thank everyone who left a review for their encouraging comments! I really appreciate all of you taking time out of your day to leave them. It may not seem like much, but it meant a lot to me. :)**

**Secondly: (I probably should put this in Ch.1 as well) I do NOT own The Chipmunks. Or even a regular chipmunk for that matter.  
**

**Thirdly: Enjoy! And if you would kindly leave a review, likes or dislikes, I would be most appreciative!  
**

As sunlight slowly crept over the windowsill, the room soon filled with a light that quickly wore out its welcome. Alvin's remedy was simply to turn his face from the window. What he did not have a remedy for however was the orchestra of mobile cars, singing birds, and what could only be the sound of Dave and Theo cooking down stairs. _How can they be up this early?_

Once Alvin finally gave in and opened his eyes he realized that they weren't up early, he was late getting up. _10:30! Way to oversleep dork! Now you're going to be late for pract-Oh. _It was difficult for him to believe that he had managed to forget what transpired the night before. There wasn't going to be a show. So there was no practice, and as far as Alvin was concerned no reason to get up. So he simply lay there, consumed by bitterness and lethargy. What was the point anyway? It's not like he had anywhere to BE.

"Almost ready..." Theodore said as he sprinkled various seasonings over the sausages he had sizzling in the skillet before him. As he reached for the cinnamon, Dave gave him a most incredulous look.

"Cinnamon on sausage... really?" Theo proceeded to sprinkle conservative amounts of cinnamon across the chopped up chunks of sausage. "Trust me on this one. It really goes well with the spices!" Dave grabbed a fork from a nearby drawer and with one bite of the sweet yet spicy mixture, Dave's suspicion was immediately assuaged. As Dave finished making his portion of the breakfast, scrambled eggs with diced bell peppers and cheese, he peered over to the table where Simon was reading in content silence.

"Whatcha reading over there Simon?"

Simon looked up at Dave briefly before fixing his glasses and quickly putting his nose back into his book. "You could say the genre is horror."

"Huh...I didn't realize you enjoyed horror novels."

Simon looked at father and simply said "I don't."

He thought that Simon's response was odd but he ultimately decided not to pursue it. "Is Alvin up yet?"

As though in a trance, he responded without even looking up. " I don't think so, I haven't seen him since yesterday."

Dave turned around and began to grab several plates from the cupboard. "Well, can you go wake him up? I'm sure he's had more than enough sleep by now."

Simon winced at Dave's request. He was fairly certain that Alvin would not be particularly happy to see him. While he was pretty sure that Alvin wouldn't hit him, simply having his brother look at him the same that he looked at him last night made him feel absolutely disgusted with himself. Nevertheless, he complied with invisible reluctance. "No problem, be right back." He carefully set his bookmark in his book and left his book on the table, almost trudging to Alvin's room. That bookmark seemed familiar to Dave, which was strange because Simon seldom used the same bookmark. Strange though it was, he didn't question it.

As he more or less trudged up the stairs, he wondered to himself how such a simply task would quickly become complicated. _He could simply not answer, or he could be downright belligerent. You never really know with Alvin in his current state. _All too soon Simon at long last reached Alvin's room and gave the gentlest of knocks. As the door swung open at a torturously slow pace, Simon steeled himself for the coming confrontation.

Much to Simon's surprise, Alvin didn't look angry at all. He looked...awful really. His more than slightly mangy fur and unchanged attire in combination with his eyes which were still slightly red from his tears, made for a most pitiful sight. In truth, his lackluster physical appearance could've easily been brushed off as being a result of having just woken up. Had Simon not witnessed what he witnessed the previous night he likely would surmised such a conclusion.

_Wow...he must've really taken his punishment hard. He looks like he hasn't slept in days._

For all of his intellect, he couldn't quite figure out what was so different about this punishment. It wasn't his first and, if current trends continued, it certainly wouldn't be his last. It was now that he realized that he was having considerable trouble looking him in the eye and decided, in light of this, to complete his task as quickly as possible.

"Dave wants you to come downstairs, breakfast is ready." He said, trying desperately to look him in the eye.

Alvin simply stared at him blankly for a few moments. Once he realized that Alvin wasn't actually going to respond (whether from exhaustion or simply out of bitterness he couldn't quite tell), he began to walk downstairs saying over his shoulder "Well...I'll see you in a few then."

As Alvin watch his brother rather awkwardly walk down the stairs, he briefly considered tackling him. Things couldn't get much worse, Dave already thought he was some sort of unruly delinquent after all. Instead, he simply reminded himself that he loved both of his brothers, and though they definitely had their fair share of disagreements growing up (including more than a few fist fights with Simon), he wouldn't wish harm on them now. He just wished that they would defend him, like he tried to defend them.

He turned to the bathroom, then realized he didn't care that much and began to drag himself down the stairs. If he had it his way, he would've simply eaten in his room...or rather not at all. There wasn't a single person down there he actually _wanted _to see.

"Good morning Alvin!" Theodore said with his typical cheer. All Alvin mustered in response was a one-fingered salute, which was more than both Dave and Simon got combined. Alvin sat down and without so much as a look in either of their directions began scarfing down his plate of food. He was actually surprised to find that he was hungrier than expected.

_I suppose that I should've expected this, _Dave thought to himself. With the exception of Alvin's unusually (and in Dave's humble opinion, unnecessarily) dramatic performance following his punishment, this sort of treatment was exactly what he expected. Dave honestly couldn't remember the last time he cried after being punished though. It seemed way too childish for someone his age, especially for Alvin. _Then again, _Dave mused, _he has been known to overreact. _He took a sip of orange juice and pushed it out of his mind. For the next few days, he knew, he would be the bad guy as far as Alvin was concerned. It would last until either one of them did something particularly funny and they were both sent careening into a torrent of laughter or until Alvin needed Dave for whatever reason (which he surmised long ago was Alvin's face-saving "code" for "I'm done being mad and I'm sorry for acting childish").

"So Theodore," Dave said hoping to get rid of the stifling silence, " how's your cooking course coming along? I know you were struggling a bit."

Theo pondered this as he swallowed his food. "Well, it's going much better now! She actually raised my grade to a C+." He decided to keep to himself the comment that came with the amendment to his grade. _You are no longer the worst student in the class. _ "I swear though, Mrs. Osgood had it out for me." Then, as though on cue, Alvin allowed himself a smile that that was almost imperceptible. _Almost._ Simon noticed this but said nothing, deciding to instead continue eating in silence.

"Well that's good to hear, I'm glad she finally decided to turn on her taste buds."

Although Dave usually didn't let his boys blame any poor marks on their instructors, he did find his sons' stand-in teachers behavior a bit unsettling. No substitute teachers, principal or otherwise, should have that sort of latitude over the the grade of a student that they taught for only two weeks. It was a good thing that Theo's grade went back up, because Dave was certainly no stranger to meetings with the principal.

"Also," Dave continued, "You've been coming home later than usual Simon..."

"Well," Simon began as he adjusted is glasses, " Mr. North, the biology teacher with whom you spoke a few weeks ago, decided that he wanted to start after school tutoring sessions. He wanted me to be his assistant."

Dave nodded approvingly. "Alright, well I wish you would've told me sooner. As long as you're just at school then that's fine I suppose." Once breakfast at long last came to an end, Alvin dumped his dishes into the sink and went straight to his room.

As he went to lay down his door began to open, curiously, without his permission. Before he had the opportunity to object, Simon had already entered and closed the door behind him still with book in hand. For all the audacity that it took for him to simply barge into his brother's room, he certainly had trouble finding his words now.

"Is it too much to ask for a chipmunk to have some privacy? I mean its not like _you're_ _grounded_ so _you_ can go _anywhere_." Alvin could only hope that those words were as venomous as they sounded in his head.

"Alvin, what the _hell_ was that?!" He was actually taken aback. He had never seen Simon this angry...well, at least not in recent memory. It was even more surprising to hear him swear, considering that swear words were just for "loud-mouthed, dim-witted nimrods incapable of proper speech."

To Alvin's credit he recovered quickly, deciding to play dumb to see where this led. "Why whatever do you mean my dear brother?"

"You know exactly what I mean. I saw that arrogant little smirk. The "incident" with Principal Osgood. I thought you said that was an accident!"

"Hmmm..." Alvin said as he pretended to ponder upon what his younger brother said. "Oooooh! I remember now! Tsk tsk, very unfortunate." He closed hes eyes and shook his head slowly in clearly feigned remorse.

Simon was absolutely dumbfounded by his brothers childish behavior. He realized however that he was talking much too loud considering the sensitivity of the topic of this conversation.

Simon set his book on Alvin's dresser stepped forward a bit, hoping that the difference in height would help him drive his point home. "Alvin, are you trying to get expelled!?", he demanded in a desperate whisper. "You already know that the school is STILL considering it. You aren't out of the woods yet."

Had Alvin known what was coming next, he might have chosen his next words a bit more carefully. "Yeah I'm sure you're _real_ broken up about that. It's not like you care about what happens to me anyways. Ya did a bang up job showing that off last night! Ya know what'd be nice? If I lived in a place that wasn't full of people that thought I was nothing but a good-for-nothing, lying, jerk!"

Simon slowly and carefully took off his glasses and rubbed them on his sweater as he closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He chuckled cruelly, "So you actually think you'd be better off somewhere else?"

Alvin began walking around his room gesturing dramatically as he answered his younger brother's query. "I'm grounded for life, no one ever believes me, my own father probably thinks I'm a screw up by now," Alvin stopped gesturing and turned to face Simon now speaking at an irate whisper, "and to top it all off I can't even get my own brothers to stick up for me. So yeah, maybe so."

Simon put his glasses back on, transforming the red, brash blob in front of him into Alvin once more. "Well I'm glad you do..." Simon said with unfettered bitterness. He reached for his book on Alvin's dresser, flipped through his book and took out his white and black bookmark. "...because so does Dave." As he said this he threw the bookmark on the ground and removed himself from the room before he said something he could never take back. Alvin picked up the item only to find that it was a pamphlet...from a reform school.

He was suddenly very glad that he was alone in his room.

"I don't fucking believe this..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! Firstly, I want to apologise for the last chapter. I made many errors that I should not have made. I have since made the appropriate corrections. Never again will I try to proofread/submit while tired.**

**Secondly, I am humbled by those who took the time out of their day to review. I appreciate it, thank you!**

**Thirdly, I don't own the Chipmunks in any way.**

**Finally, for those who are so inclined, I would be most appreciative if you would kindly review (likes or dislikes). Enjoy!**

Alvin sat on his bed reading the various disciplinary edicts that the pamphlet proudly endorsed. The otherwise unassuming piece of paper proclaimed that the _Sylvester T. Wilde School of Reform_ was committed to teaching its students what it called "The three "D's": Discipline, Dedication, and Development of Character. He actually found himself trembling as he read and re-read his potential future. Calling Alvin confused at this point would've been an understatement. Never had he experienced so many distinct emotions at once, all caused by a single event. Anger, hopelessness, and even a bit of disappointment in his caretaker's decision dominated his mindset. His disappointment in Dave however was quickly replaced by self shame.

_ I'm the one who drove him to this, he's just doing what any responsible parent would do, right?_

Of course, that didn't mean he had to like it.

* * *

Sunday, the day of the festival, went as quickly as it came. While Alvin was hardly disappointed about being mercifully spared the fate of spending his entire Sunday looking forlornly out his window at the festivities he would never enjoy, gratitude was the furthest sentiment from his mind.

Despite the fact that he hadn't eaten all day, he found that he wasn't particularly hungry. He'd given up on solid foods since the night before when he couldn't keep down a single helping of lasagna. After that, he didn't even bother leaving his room for meals for he found that anxiety was an excellent appetite suppressant. In addition, Simon was probably still angry from Alvin's tirade, he couldn't even look Dave in the eye for a whole host of reasons, and while he enjoyed Theo's company, he was not about to subject himself to thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence just to be in his presence. No thanks. Besides, who knew for how much longer Alvin would be a free chipmunk? For all he knew, they could be there as early as tomorrow. Better he should enjoy the comfort of his room while he still could. Still he had so many questions. He had no idea how long Dave had been considering this. Did Dave already make the call? Was there anyway to change his mind? Alvin's mind zipped from one question to another, desperately searching for answers that he knew he simply didn't have. So he simply decided to retire for the time being. Being wired with anxiety for several consecutive hours had definitely taken its toll.

* * *

The screeching on the analog clock jarred Simon from his slumber. After quickly smashing the top of his alarm clock to beckon silence, he peered over to see the time. He could never figure out why it was the first thing he did every morning. It was illogical. The only time it _could_ be was the time for which he set it to sound the night before. If it _wasn't_ that time, he couldn't see it anyway. For all of his love of cutting-edge technology, Simon just couldn't shake the classic feel of an analog clock despite the fact that they were harder to read in light of his poor eyesight. Simon simply sighed, put on his glasses, and began his daily preparations in hopes that he wouldn't have to deal with Alvin at least until the walk to school. Even in his fatigue induced stupor, he had to wonder how the eldest managed to dodge suspension.

As he shambled towards the bathroom, he saw the door slowly swing open. _Is my luck really this bad? _Much to his relief, it was Theodore.

"Good morning Theodore."

"Mornin' Simon." He said half speaking, half yawning. Theo gave him a rather confused look. "...Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Simon removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of them. "I'm just fine."

Theodore nodded and just as Simon was about to proceed into the restroom, Theodore grabbed his hand. "By the way...is something going on between you and Alvin? You both have been acting a bit strange lately."

Simon fix his glasses as he mentally fumbled for an intelligible response, "I'm not sure what you mean Theo. I mean, Alvin's behavior is perfectly normal considering the rather extenuating circumstances he's found himself in. You and I both know that being consistently denied time to partake in our hobbies has the capacity to negatively impact how we-"

"That's not quite what I meant." Theo interrupted, rather awkwardly. "I...heard you guys yelling at each other after breakfast a couple of days ago. Is something wrong?"

Simon mentally smacked himself. He'd hoped that he lowered his voice soon enough to not have been heard. It would seem that his brother somehow still managed to catch some of his conversation. Not enough to discern the topic of conversation however...or at least so it appeared.

Simon shrugged, "It's nothing worth getting worked up over. Just some petty quibbling over frivolous nonsense."

Theodore, seemingly satisfied with the answer, let go of his hand. "Alright, good to know." He began to head towards the stairs and after hearing the door to the restroom close, let out a sigh. "I guess that would've been a bit too easy."

After the three boys were dressed and fed, Dave lined them all up for his "final check-in". He looked at Simon, "You're gonna be late tonight because you're helping Mr. North, correct?" Simon fixed his glasses and nodded. He then turned to Alvin, "You are to come home immediately after detention. Do you understand?" Alvin spoke in a whisper so soft that had Dave not been looking directly at him, he would never have known that Alvin had said a word, "Yes Dave." Dave looked to all three of them now, "Any other business?" All, except for Alvin who was too busy looking at the floor, shook their head. "Well, have a good day at school boys." With that, the boys began their half-hour commute.

Their walk ended as slowly and awkwardly as it began. No one said so much as a word to anyone, and Alvin walked more than a few paces ahead of everyone else. Theodore simply presumed that Alvin was still angry that they had spied on his conversation with Dave. _But why would he yell at Simon for that, and not me? I mean, I was there too._ Theodore decided to shelve these considerations for now. He needed more information, and it was just his luck that he was the brother of the two most tight-lipped chipmunks on the planet.

It wasn't until lunchtime that day that Alvin even spoke to Simon. Strangely enough, the bustling of the enormous lunch room was the only place he felt he could speak with Simon without the constant, nagging fear of being overheard. He was also fortunate enough to find that Simon was actually alone at the moment. Thank goodness those cheerleaders just could NOT get enough of Theodore (Alvin in his more selfish, and crueler moments would ask himself, "Why?"). Simon seemed to be lost in thought when the slam of a lunch tray brought his attention to the red-clad chipmunk in front of him. Simon looked away again, as though he had just exchanged a passing glance with someone he would never acquaint himself with formally. Alvin was the one who finally spoke up. "I think we need to talk."

"Oh do we now?" Simon rubbed his chin, digesting Alvin's assertion. "I ask only because I would HATE compel you to sit with someone who holds you in such LOW regard."

As much as Simon's sarcastic and passive-aggressive remarks irritated him, it did make him feel slightly better to know that even he could be a little childish every now and then.

Alvin sighed. He should've known that his brother wasn't going to give it to him that easily. So he decided to continue to playing this game (a game to which neither of the two were new); not just because he thought Simon might have answers that he didn't, but because he felt he did deserve this considering how he talked about, and treated, his brothers.

"Look Simon..." Alvin rubbed his arm with his opposite hand and looked to his left at the fantastic looking gravel he was standing on. "I...want to...you know...because I was..." though Simon was having a tough enough time understanding what Alvin was saying, the last part of his sentence was actually mumbled.

"What?" Simon said, leaning in a bit.

Alvin tried again. "I said, I was..." More mumbles.

Simon sighed and began to gather his things. "Look Alvin, I'm not going to sit here and play charades with you. If you aren't going to bother speaking up-"

"I SAID I WAS WRONG!" Alvin, realizing too late how loud he was being, looked around immediately and found that even with the cacophony of teenagers getting lunch and talking about how much their teachers were jerks, people two tables over managed to hear him. Some looked over with disdain, others with jealousy, some still with malice who did not delay in laughing.

Alvin flushed immediately. To his credit however, he didn't move a single inch from his spot.

_Wow, he was really willing to embarrass himself in a lunch room full of people._

Simon Seville was many things. He was kind, a genius, occasionally childish and every one-in-a-while, arrogant. Cruelty however, was something he simply couldn't tolerate. He, like many, experienced it regularly at the hands of his peers. Being teased, shunned, and occasionally threatened (he was lucky if it stopped there) just because he was a "nerd" prevented him from developing the egocentrism that would have afforded him the luxury of cruelty without guilt. He sighed, knowing all too well what his conscience was compelling him to do.

Simon took a quick glance at his watch, deciding ultimately that 40 minutes would have to be enough for now. "Lets find a place that's a bit less noisy." Simon took an apple from his tray and disposed of the rest. Alvin simply dumped the tray and its completely untouched contents into the garbage. _Another meal I probably couldn't have kept down anyway. _

After passing several corridors of classrooms, they finally came upon a hallway dedicated entirely to student lockers known colloquially as the "Mosh Pit". Once they found a suitable spot (which was rather easy considering that every inch of the floor in that hallway was equally uncomfortable), they sat down. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"This." He held up the "bookmark" delivered to him by his younger brother.

Simon nodded knowingly, "I thought as much. I do want to warn you Alvin, I don't know as much as you might think I do about this."

Alvin was skeptical, but nodded in understanding. "How long have you known about this?"

Simon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "About three weeks."

Alvin furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head in disbelief. "THREE WEEKS!? You KNEW for THREE WEEKS that Dave was planning on sending me away, and you didn't say a word?!"

"Alvin, before you overreact..."

"Simon, how could you keep this from me? I could've done something, anything, to change his mind!" Alvin said throwing his hands in the air. " If had thought for a second that he was going send me away I would never have-"

Simon's calm and collected resolve quickly gave way to his frustration and he stood up. "Would you _please_ shut up? The whole reason for us coming here was to have privacy. Don't compromise that by screaming at the top of your lungs and pouting prematurely like a child, before I've even had an opportunity to explain myself."

Alvin wanted to retort, but he found that he didn't really have one that made sense. Having been subdued by sensibility, he waited for Simon to continue.

Simon sat down once more. "I've _technically_ known for three weeks. That's about when I overheard him on the phone speaking with Mrs. Osgood concerning your altercation in the gymnasium, if I'm not mistaken." Alvin opened his mouth to interject, but Simon simply continued. "To respond to your question, I kept it from you because the only piece of information that I could've given you at that time was hearsay. The only evidence that I've even come across was that pamphlet. I just didn't want to worry you with something that would just turn out to be a false alarm."

Alvin pondered on this. He was fairly sure that his brother wasn't obscuring any facts. He couldn't imagine a good enough reason to lie about something like this. It was equally difficult to imagine Simon lying about anything really. He gave Simon's words a few moments to sink in before he proceeded with his next question. "What happens next?"

It wasn't really a fair question. He may have been a genius, even by human standards, but he wasn't a fortune teller. It was a question that he asked himself multiple times. It was one of few questions that he didn't have an answer to. He couldn't research it. He could only speculate with no way of confirming any of his hypotheses until it was too late to matter. "I don't know...he doesn't seem to have made a decision yet. Otherwise you would've...well..." He let himself trail off. He didn't want to think about his brother being sent to some prison-like school in the middle of nowhere.

Simon began to gather his things and stand. He still had three minutes, but his next class was on the opposite side of the school. Simon looked down at Alvin who appeared to still be lost in thought. "Alvin, I know you don't think that Theo and I care, but we do." Alvin had momentarily forgotten their betrayal, but it all came flooding back. He simply continued looking down with renewed anger.

Simon knelt down and got as uncomfortable close to Alvin as possible. Alvin looked at Simon; he was as surprised as he was unnerved. Simon simply smiled in response.

"Neither of us were actually there during your altercations. Would you really be alright with me asking YOU to lie to the only human being to love us unconditionally? To deceive the only one who has been there to defend us from those who thought we were 'freaks of nature'?" Simon slung his backpack over his shoulders. "I'll see you tonight Alvin." With that, he slowly but surely vanished down the corridor.

All of the anger and disgust he felt was suddenly turned inward. It was selfish. Even for Alvin. He had never once considered that he was putting his brothers in such an awkward position; and for what? So he could get out of detention? So he could play video games? _No wonder Dave wants to send me away. _Alvin didn't even want to be around himself right now. He slowly got up and began to slither his way to his 5th period class that he shared with the only other person that he was sure he couldn't look in the eye right now.

Theo quickly ducked behind another corner as Alvin passed his former location. Theodore couldn't believe it. _Dave wouldn't really do that...would he? _Theodore sat down for a moment to gather himself. It was the first time in a very long time that he was legitimately afraid. He had no idea it was this serious. Sure, Alvin was still up to his old act again. What else was new? He never would've dreamed that Dave had finally had enough though. While his fear had a powerful grip on him, it soon stood side-by-side with anger towards both his brothers. _They always do this!_ Theodore wasn't stupid, and while he was the youngest of the triplets(by a whopping few minutes), he still hoped that they trusted him like he trusted them. Evidently, his hope was misplaced. He marched to class, with the thinly hanging hope that culinary artistry would relieve him of his anger, if only for the next 50 minutes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Salutations all!**

**Firstly, I just want to thank everyone who's reviewed thus far. They are incredibly encouraging, so thank you!  
**

**Secondly, I do not own The Chipmunks  
**

**Finally, enjoy!  
**

As the sky found itself on the eve of nightfall, Simon trudged his way home. With each step, his entire torso pulsed with pain, slowing his pace even further. Even though there was still some small sliver of daylight left, it was still a school night. As such, most of the kids he would normally pass on the way home had long since gone inside. He could hardly be bothered to care though. They didn't talk to him and he didn't talk to them.

_I never thought this walk could feel so long._

Occasionally he found that the crickets were courteous enough to greet him...or at least they created enough noise to make the walk to his home feel a bit less lonely. Simon had lost track of how many nights he'd come home late at this point. It was the same thing almost every school day.

_You've got to remember that you're doing this for your brothers._

Even as he attempted to renew his conviction with this reminder, he did have to wonder whether or not all of this was _really_ for his brothers.

_You're doing this for them._

Each time he mentally repeated the words to himself, they seemed further and further away. No matter how many times he repeated this to himself, his mind always came back to the one thought that was unquestionably valid.

_Simon Seville, you are a coward._

The only thing he could hope for at this point was that by the time he got home Dave, Theo, and Alvin would be finished with dinner so as to avoid a potentially awkward conversation. Simon was never a big fan of duplicitous behavior and he seldom partook in it. He found that at this point, the stakes were simply too high to hold himself to the liability of honesty.

When he at long last arrived at his home and opened the front door, he was disappointed to find that dinner was _still _going on. He also noticed that Alvin was, again, the only member of their family not present at the table. Considering the trend he was setting over the past couple of days, it wasn't really all that surprising.

Swallowing a rather large piece of meatloaf, Dave looked up just as Simon was closing the door. "Hey Simon, how did the tutoring session go?"

Simon shrugged nonchalantly, "Not as well as I'd hoped. Many of them are just not getting it. I just don't understand what's so difficult about remembering the order of biological classification." He then adjusted his glasses, held out his hands and began to count as he spoke. "Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. It's biology, not astrophysics."

"Well Simon," Dave began as he wiped his mouth gingerly on a nearby napkin, "not everyone is as good a student as you. You just need to have a little patience. No one is perfect. Even you didn't learn this stuff in a day. Maybe you should work with Mr. North and try to find a different, more effective approach."

Dave had a penchant for providing practical, non-judgmental advice. Simon for all his intellectual capacity, often found that he fell a bit short when it came to handling people. While he wasn't completely lost at sea, he certainly lacked the social finesse of his brothers. As he began to mull over Dave's advice, he was overwhelmed with guilt.

"A-Alright, I'll give it a shot." With that, he began the ascent his room.

"Aren't you gonna get something to eat? I bet you're hungry from staying after school so late."

Simon halted his ascent, looking back at Dave. "Actually there were snacks at the session, so I'm feeling pretty good right now. I just want to get some more studying in before bedtime." Dave simply nodded, "Okay. Have fun then."

Once Simon vanished up the stairs, Theodore and Dave at once returned to the silence from whence they came.

"May I be excused?" Theo asked after finishing his second plate. Though Dave surely would've enjoyed the company, silent though it was, he let Theo excuse himself from the table. With Theo gone, Dave simply sat at the table alone nursing the residuals of his meat loaf dinner, wondering about the exact moment when his children stopped having time for the nightly family dinner.

With Alvin in one of his "moods", and Simon taking on new responsibility as a teacher's assistant, Theodore was the only one that he had any consistent contact with as of late. Unfortunately, it was practically pulling teeth getting him to say more than a few words about what was going on in his life. It was clear that something was bothering his youngest, but Theo simply insisted that nothing was wrong and that everything was fine. Dave would likely have to take a more delicate approach he was going to make any progress. With his boys already in their rooms much earlier than he could've possibly anticipated, Dave decided to simply turn on the television in the hope of taking his mind off of the slightly depressing state of his affairs.

Theodore briefly considered postponing his "talk" with his brothers until tomorrow but decided ultimately to do it right then and there before he had an opportunity to loose his nerve. As he prepared to knock on Simon's door, he noticed that it was slightly ajar. He had already learned the hard way, courtesy of Alvin's poorly obscured "experimentations", that an open door is not always an invitation. Having an image like that seared into his mind reminded him to always knock extra loud to ensure that any potentially awkward "activities" would be completed _before_ he entered. Before he could even knock however, an unfamiliar sound gave him pause.

Simon lay on his bed, facing the windowless wall with his glasses next to his alarm clock. As hot tears slowly trickled down his face, he wondered how much more of this he could take. Everyday it was the same thing. He'd get out of class, somehow get cornered by those cro-magnons and get harassed by them. Lately, they had gotten more courageous and simply started beating him up.

It started out with little things. Name-calling, tripping every now and then, and the occasional "accidental" shoulder bump. Sometimes they'd take his glasses and hold them above his head. When the group grew bored with the "kitten and yarn" routine, they would usually place them on a surface that was simply to high for him to reach without assistance (not a difficult task being that he was hardly more than three feet tall.) and walk away. Most of his teachers were surprisingly uninterested in hearing about the trials of a thirteen year old. Even when he spoke with principal Osgood, he was regarded with what he understood to be disdain and impatience. It was as though he was taking up her precious time with his silly complaints of bullies. She actually had the nerve to dismiss it as simply "boys being boys". The outdatedness of that phrase as far as Simon was concerned was only surpassed by its meaninglessness. It was the first time in his life that he actually began to fear for his safety. There wasn't anyone he could talk to about it, at least not without putting someone else in considerable danger. Perhaps it was best that he suffer it for now with the hope that he will be better equipped to combat it later. _But_ _When?_

As he pondered these various injustices in between sniffs, there came a knock upon his door. Simon took his time responding in order to compose himself. He didn't need any awkward questions about why he was crying while he was studying.

After he was reasonably certain that he could speak in a voice that didn't make it sound as though he had just came from a funeral, he responded. "Yes?'

"It's Theo...can I talk to you for a bit?"

While he acknowledged that Theodore's timing was absolutely awful, he decided that he could spare a few moments for his little brother. "Sure, come on in."

The youngest carefully pushed the door open to see a most unremarkable site: Simon reading a book.

Theodore decided now was a good time to test the waters a bit. "So...how's your studying coming along?"

"Actually pretty well. It's all habitual by this point anyways. I'm practically on autopilot at this point." He didn't so much as look over from his book. After a few moments of silence, Simon had to acknowledge the unlikelihood of Theodore coming to his room with the intent of talking to him about how his studies were coming along.

Simon slowly sat up. "So uh...what did you want to talk about?" Theodore's suspicion concerning what his brother was really doing quickly gave way to his nervousness. He was rubbing his hands and looking at every object in the room except for the one he was currently engaged in conversation with. "Well," he struggled to begin, "It's about you and Alvin..."

Simon had a confused look on his face. "I already told you Theo, there's nothing to worry-"

"I heard you and Alvin talking at lunch." Finishing his sentence allowed Theodore to find the courage to finally look Simon in the eye.

Simon simply stood there, speechless. What could he say? It would've been silly to try and deny something that his brother had obvious heard quite clearly.

He couldn't help but admit to himself that really didn't want Theodore to have this information. Simon was not particularly...confident...about his younger brother's ability to process bad news; and this news was absolutely catastrophic in magnitude. One of the most beautiful things about Simon's intellect however, was that he always knew when he was beaten.

Simon sighed, "How much did you hear?"

"I know that Dave is planning to send Alvin away." He looked away, trying to process exactly what he just said. It just seemed so surreal. "Simon, what's going on?"

The tallest found himself on edge. On the verge once again of angry tears, he found himself desperate for the opportunity to busy himself with anything. As such, he began to tidy up his already meticulously clean room. "I honestly don't know much beyond what you've already heard." _Courtesy of Alvin Seville's infamously big mouth, _he thought bitterly_. _"There isn't much more I can tell you. I know that Dave is _at least_ considering it. No, I don't know when or even _if_ he's actually going to go through with this. No, I haven't figured out what we can do to change his mind other than making sure that Alvin doesn't pull anymore hi-jinks."

Theo never failed to be annoyed by the fact that Simon knew him so well. He knew where his curiosity would lead him, almost all of his hopes and fears, and he was even able to finish his questions and thoughts as he so often did. Accordingly, it made it quite difficult to deceive him. Though to be sure, he never had occasion to do so. There was one question however that Simon was unprepared to answer.

"So why didn't anyone tell me any of this?" Theo didn't look at his brother with the anger that Simon should have expected. Rather he looked oddly hopeful. Hopeful that the brother in front of him had a freaking _amazing_ excuse for not telling him that one of his own siblings was about to be sent away to some overpriced boot camp miles and miles away. "I mean, we're brothers," he said as he gave a nervous chuckle. "We're supposed to share everything with each other, aren't we?"

Simon _really_ wasn't in the mood to deal with this. It was already starting to get late, he still had some thinking to do and emotionally he was just not running on a full tank. "Look Theodore, I know that you're upset right now and for good reason, but I really don't think that now is the time to discuss this."

Staring back at Simon was a pair of disbelieving eyes. "Wait a minute, that's not fair. I never kept things from you! Either of you!" Simon had intentions to interject but Theodore simply prematurely steam rolled any of is taller brother's objections. "It's like this every time. Something "big" happens between you and Alvin, I try to find out whats wrong, try to help, and BOTH of you pretend like nothing's wrong!" Theodore put his head down with clenched fists. He knew he just had to say it, but looking his own brother in the eye in that room which was now lit only by dim moonlight was simply too intimidating for him. With as much fear as indignation, he whispered ever so silently, "Its always secrets with you guys, and I never know why."

"Theodore," he began, "Alvin and I have a LOT on our plates right now, what do you want from us?!" Simon bellowed, perhaps a bit more forceful than he intended.

"I want you guys to trust me!" He erupted, finally allowing his tears to fall.

"...I just want you guys to trust me." Theo managed to whisper in between sobs. "Like I trusted both of you."

With that, the awkward and unwelcome company of silence greeted them. Simon honestly didn't know what to say. It took only a moment of retrospection to realize his brother was absolutely right. He had no idea how he could've missed it. Theo was left out of too many things that he should've been in the "know" about, including this. Sure he was the youngest...by a few minutes. He certainly deserved better than this though. They were ALL in this together. Before he could verbalize any of this, Theo interrupted his thought process.

"You and Alvin can have your secrets. I'll just pretend that it ISN'T my oldest brother that I'm about to lose." Theodore stormed out of Simon's room crying softly, leaving Simon alone with nothing but his shame and the moonlight to console him. As though in a daze Simon pulled off his blue polo shirt and let it fall in the middle of the floor. As he FINALLY lay down for what he hoped would be uneventful sleep (careful not to agitate the bruises he'd received courtesy of his favorite tormentors), he realized the only thing that could make this day any worse for him:

_To think, it's only Monday._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello All! This chapter took me MUCH long than I expected. It's also the longest so far, so I hope that this is worth the wait for you.**

**Reviewers? Ya'll are awesome. Keep on rockin!  
**

**As usual I don't own the chipmunks.  
**

**And finally...enjoy!  
**

* * *

For the Seville residence, the next couple of weeks passed by in a lethargy wrapped in a mixture of sadness and solitude. The household once filled with intoxicating aromas, the irritated yells of prank victims, and the occasional explosion from an unintended mixture of disagreeing chemicals, found itself left with only a comparatively deafening silence. The entertainment system in the living room was left untouched. No one cooked anything that wasn't microwavable anymore.

None of them really spoke to each other beyond superficial "hello's" or "wassup's".

Each of them felt like strangers in their own home.

All with the exception of Dave held themselves captive in their own rooms. Of course were he asked, he couldn't say that the situation was ALL bad. Without the responsibility of explaining questionable sounds coming from his basement at odd hours of the night, coupled with entire days without worry over the next bucket of water on top of a random doorway, or the next songwriting session interrupted by some sort of classroom "disruption", Dave was actually free to pursue things like free time, and a good night's rest. Fulfilling though it was, he would've traded it all, just to know what the heck was going on with his kids.

He wracked his brain about how to "casually" bring up their strange behavior in passing, but he was mercifully spared the task of devising various topics for "small talk" when he walked through his front door after another fruitless songwriting session to find his youngest boy making himself a peanut butter and ham sandwich.

"Hey Theo!" Dave said, as though to a friend whose company he'd missed.

Theodore looked up, putting on his best smile, though his response (at least when compared to Dave's) was considerably deficient in enthusiasm. "Good evening Dave." Without another word Theodore began to pad towards the stairs, careful to not quicken his pace and arouse suspicion.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy.

"Theo, how about we chat for a bit? You know, catch up?" He spoke with both half of a smile, and half of a hope.

"O-oh, sorry Dave," the young one sputtered, searching his mental index for a believable excuse. "I'm kinda tired, and I've got a TON of homework to do." He continued his ascension up the stairs, praying that Dave would take the hint.

Unfortunately for poor Theo, David Seville knew a conversation dodge when saw one. He folded his arms and looked sternly at Theo. "Theodore Seville, it's time we had a talk." The rotund chipmunk stopped walking up the stair and winced at once. As though a magical pass phrase was spoken, he slowly turned and began his descent down the stairs and into the kitchen. As he sat down, Dave walked past him and began to grab a couple of cups and various ingredients from his cupboard.

"So Theodore," he began, "What have you guys been up to?"

Theo was strangely apprehensive. Typically, his caretaker's presence had the exact opposite effect.

_ There has GOT to be a way out of this._

"Nothing much really," he said while taking a bite out of his latest creation. "Just the same old stuff really."

"Hmm..." Dave simply nodded knowingly as he put two porcelain mugs into the microwave and set the timer.

He simply waited for his microwave to notify him that one minute had passed. He then added a few marshmallows to each and placed a mug on each side of the round table. Taking his place opposite of Theodore, Dave sipped from his mug gingerly.

Theodore eyed the mug with both hatred and lust. He knew what it contained.

His own ruin.

_Dave's explosive fifteen alarm hot chocolate._

Theodore actually whimpered once he got the smallest whiff of the substance. Even with his face more than a foot away from the irresistible liquid, he already felt himself weaken from the gentle yet commanding scent emanating from what was possibly the most delectable substance he had ever tasted in his life. To most people it would've just been exceptionally good hot chocolate. To him and his brothers however, it was steaming heaven. While he was on to Dave's game, that knowledge didn't put him in any better of a position to resist.

In Dave's college years, he found that he had trouble staying awake for the morning following an entire night of cramming information. He'd tried many things to remedy this including but not limited to jogging, and drinking absolutely copious amounts of coffee. Finally in a fit of desperation, he created his "Fifteen Alarm" hot chocolate. An unholy mixture of cinnamon, sugar, marshmallows (exactly six since five was simply too few and seven was beyond excessive), and just a small bit of lukewarm coffee. It was designed to be the crème de la crème when it came to producing outrageous amounts of short-lived energy. He discovered upon waking up from his history final that it, in a dazzling display of counter-intuition, produced the opposite effect.

Once upon a time, Dave looked upon parental bribery as a detestable thing. A crude and unrefined tool for the lazy parent. He realized however that there was such a thing as bribery with inconsequential items.

Items such as hot chocolate that was only reserved for very special occasions. While it didn't have the exact same effect on his children as it had on him (whether or not this was due to the fact that they were chipmunks he had no occasion, or inclination to test), it did have an almost tranquilizing effect on them.

Theodore with his last ounce of strength betrayed himself and took just a sip; a sip that was enough to cause most of his senses to get overloaded. "Aaaaaaahhhh..." Was all he could muster while he slouched ever so slightly in his chair as he soaked in a glow that he only got to experience thrice a year.

"Theodore," Dave finally said, "Why don't you tell me what's on your mind." His youngest sighed, knowing full well that there was no easy way out.

"Dave, I'm pretty sure that Simon and Alvin don't trust me."

After pondering this for a few moments, the man responded. "Why do you think that?"

As he felt the tension rise, Theo took another calming drink. "Its just that...whenever they argue they always pretend like nothing happened when I ask. Like a couple of weeks ago I found out that they-"

Lucky for Theo, he managed to catch himself. He wanted tell Dave about what his older brother's had discussed in private, but something was telling him he shouldn't do it even though he couldn't quite put his digit on it.

He continued as nonchalantly as he could "...they were hiding something, they pretended like it wasn't something that I needed to know even though it was REALLY important. Like I was too young to understand or something." Now that he had said it out loud in a calmer tone, it struck him as something one would find in some sort of drama. Two parents in a strained relationship desperately trying to "keep it together" for their kid. If the situation wasn't so serious, he might have chuckled at that parallel. He stared into his mug at the five remaining marshmallows and sighed. "They treat me like I'm a baby. I don't treat them like that, so why do they get to treat me like that?"

Dave already knew the answer to that. He could also surmise Theo's likely unpleasant reception to such an answer. He took a long sip from his mug and pondered on many other answers. Most of these answers would have been _technically_ correct. None of them, Dave found, would be appropriate to utter out loud. Some of them were downright heartbreaking. Others were equally unhelpful, though in less malicious ways. After considering all of these, he finally decided on an explanation that was true, and relevant without compromising helpfulness.

"Well Theo, it's like this: you are the youngest of your brothers and-"

Theodore was powerless to stop the eye roll and accompanying groan that came as a natural response to such a statement. _Not you too Dave..._

"AND" Dave emphasized, compelling Theo to allow him to _finish_ explaining before he condemned his father figure's advice, "even though its only by six and a half minutes it's still true." He unrolled his hands as he struggled for the right words. "In short they feel the need to protect you from a lot of things. It was how you all got along when you were younger, but it obviously lost effectiveness once you all got older. However," Dave paused to take yet another drink. "I think that it goes even deeper than that."

"Deeper...deeper how?" Theodore always found that he stumbled when it came to deciphering mystifying statements.

"Well...lemme ask you a question: In all the years you've known your brothers, what is the ONE thing that they've never disagreed on?"

The youngest sat there rubbing the fur on his cheek, pondering the answer. He then chuckled, "I dunno, does breathing count?"

Dave allowed himself to partake in the laughter. There had been a clear deficiency of it in the house as of late and he certainly wasn't going to turn it down. He got up, and went to kneel by his son which still afforded Dave a height advantage.

"The one thing that they've never disagreed on is you."

The chipmunks face turned from a look of interest, to one of dubiousness.

Dave took this cue and continued. "Tell me, when was the last the last time you fought with your brothers before that incident a couple of weeks ago?"

Theodore honestly couldn't remember. It hadn't simply been weeks. It was months, maybe even a year? It was always over something silly, something that was resolved quickly and normally with an apology.

As he pondered on this, his father stood up and began to wash the two empty mugs. "Theo, you mean so much more to your brothers than you give them credit for. They probably keep their arguments from you so that you don't have to stress every single day over whether or not you're accidentally 'taking sides'.

"They know you worry about them, heck, I worry about them every now and then too. The point is however that you shouldn't worry so much. It's not an issue of trust. It's just them trying to give you a bit of space away from their arguing. You just have to trust that they'll come to you when it's _really _important."

Theodore had put forth some serious effort to hide the dejection that came as a result of Dave's final sentence. He really thought his father might have been on to something, but now he was left with even more unsure about where he stood. Of course, this didn't necessarily mean that Dave was wrong. It did however mean that Theodore had some more thinking to do.

As Dave finished washing out the two mugs, he felt something clamp onto his leg. With more than a bit of surprise, he found that it was Theo hugging him. He knelt to return it properly.

"Thanks Dave." Even though he was a teenager and for most of his peers hugs were "out of style", Theo never believed in putting an expiration date on appreciation. Such showings of affection didn't have to mean weakness, and they didn't have to mean dependence or even fear. They just had to be sincere.

"No problem kiddo."

Even though Theo was heading upstairs to do homework, he was in better spirits now than he had been in quite a while. He still wasn't comfortable with what his father was planning, and his brother's still weren't talking to him (or each other for that matter), but now he felt like this whole situation was finally manageable.

Like it was something he could handle.

* * *

Alvin's stomach was beginning to get the urge for something other than a snack. As soon as he opened the door, he froze. He could hear Dave downstairs using the same tone of voice he used to finalize anything without further discussion.

"Theodore Seville, it's time we had a talk."

The eldest chipmunk waited at the top of the stairs, safely obscured by being around the corner, until both his father and his youngest brother were safely out of sight. He wasn't really sure why Dave used that tone with Theo, of all people, but he knew that he did not envy the boy's situation one bit. He had long since reached his quota of that tone from Dave for the year. Once the coast was clear, he decided to make his way to the restroom for a quick shower that would at least last the duration of their "talk".

On his way to the shower he heard a soft yet unsettling sound. As he got closer, he realized that it was coming from Simon's room.

The sound of soft crying.

Alvin took a peek into the room. The slightly cracked door revealed that the curled up ball of fur, wrapped in a blue turtleneck was indeed crying. Had Simon not been facing the wall, he may have remembered to actually _close_ that stupid door to his room.

The red-clad chipmunk slowly pushed open the loyally silent door and closed it with equal care. He hesitated before he finally attempted to speak. "Simon?"

Simon shot up at once looking at the intruder. He could nothing but sit there, frozen in a stare.

_How did he get in here? And why do I keep forgetting to _close_ my door?!_

While he silently cursed his foolishness, he knew that he was simply stalling.

"Simon...were you just...crying?"

Simon blushed immediately. He wanted to deny it even though he knew he couldn't. He wished that it was _anyone_ other than Alvin who had discovered him. He could at least count on Theo to not hold it over his head for the next several months all the while ridiculing him. It seemed that Alvin's voice indicated concern, and not simply incredulousness.

"Simon, what's wrong?"

Simon wished he could take a moment to thank whomever was in charge of the universe for granting him a propensity for quick thinking. "Well..." he started adjusting his glasses, then sighed (almost too heavily). "There's this girl and-"

Alvin almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_ Simon Seville...Talking about his love life? _

Alvin simply held up his paw as he began moving to next to his brother on his bed.

"Say no more." He put one arm around his brother and with the other hand, lightly pressed into his brother's chest in excitement. Simon grabbed his chest and nearly doubled over.

"Are you okay? I mean, I know I've been working out and all but I didn't really do it _that_ hard."

Once Simon actually regained his wind and the pain in his chest subsided, he managed a comeback. "Don't flatter yourself. The guys in my gym class today went a little to hard during dodge ball. Quite frankly I'm lucky to have any of my innards intact.

Simon received a look of confusion in response. "Simon...we didn't have gym today. Remember? We haven't had it all week. All because of that stupid standardized test they're making us study for."

Alvin normally wouldn't have even noticed, or cared. But these past couple of weeks were jam-packed with weird stuff going on and his gut was telling him something just wasn't right.

"Simon, what's going on?" Alvin narrowed his eyes at his youngest brother.

"It's nothing. Just me and my clumsiness. Now if you'll excuse me..." Standing up, he started to usher his older brother out of the room. On his way, he somehow managed to trip over himself causing him to face plant. Only barely did Simon manage to keep his scream of pain from escaping the room as he tightly held his chest in one arm.

With a boldness possessed only by Alvin Seville, he lifted up brothers sweater to see what Simon had been nursing all this time.

Alvin couldn't believe what he was seeing. Most of his torso was seriously bruised up. Like someone had used his body as a punching bag or something. Simon lay there for a couple of moments in a daze. He finally managed to get a hold of himself, smacking Alvin's hand away. "You want to tell me why you're trying to strip me in my room?!"

Alvin stood, completely unfazed. "Who did this to you?"

There it was. The final indication of Simon's failure to obscure something that, in retrospect, was totally obvious. To make things even better, the absolute worst possible person managed to find out before anyone else. Damage control was definitely going to be a challenge.

He couldn't even look Alvin in the eye. He just sat there, allowing the silence to faithfully keep his secrets.

"I-I told you already. It was just me and my lack of coordination. So you don't need to-"

Alvin began making his way to the door. "We're talking to Dave right now." He suddenly felt a sharp pain as Simon grabbed his tail.

"You can't! Please don't do this." Simon wasn't asking. He was _begging_. All it did was piss Alvin off.

Alvin gave a gentle (but firm) tug to regain possession of his tail. "What the hell, Simon? Are you really going to protect those jerks?! For what?"

The second eldest looked away, "I'm not protecting them."

He could hardly hold back a scoff. "How can you say that? I'm trying to help you and you want me to _not _help. Earth to Simon, I would say you're doing a FANTASTIC job of protecting them!"

He knew that Simon wouldn't ask him to do something without SOME sort of reason, but anger consumed Alvin and as far as he was concerned there was no reason good enough to convince him that allowing Simon to go through this was a good idea. "I'm telling Dave and that's final!"

Simon, in a rare fit of desperation, grabbed Alvin by his sweatshirt, bringing them face to face. With the rim of his brother's glasses touching his face, Alvin stared into the eyes of a chipmunk who had nowhere to turn.

Simon's tone became closer to a growl than an actual tone. "Alvin Seville, you aren't going to tell _anyone _about this." Simon took a deep breath with his face still as close and deadly serious as before. "Do you know why you aren't going to tell anyone?"

Alvin was actually starting to get creeped out. He had never seen his brother so calm, yet insistent, in his entire life. All he could do, was simply wait for his brother to continue.

"You aren't going to tell anyone because I will not have allow any injuries to Theo to rest on MY conscience."

Alvin's face wrinkled in confusion. "Wait, they threatened Theodore?! Forget Dave, you tell me who those jerks are and I'll show them-"

"Would you just stop Alvin?" His voice didn't carry anger. All it carried were fatigue and resignation to a most unfavorable fate. "We're not little kids anymore. We don't live in a fairy tale where we can do anything we want without consequences." He finally released his brother's clothing from his grip. He slowly moved to sit on his bed. "So no, Alvin. You aren't going to 'show them' anything. Because you know as well as I that this will get you on a one way trip to that boarding school.

"I am NOT going to let you go out, do something stupid, and get sent away from both of your younger brothers who need you HERE. So if you do decide that you're going to go on some crusade, don't pretend like you're doing it for our good because I can already promise you that you aren't."

Simon took off his glasses and lay down facing the wall, yawning. "Can you close the door on your way out? I've had enough people walking in on me to last me a lifetime."

"I'll find a way, just you wait." After receiving no response to this, Alvin silently departed.

Simon could only hopelessly whisper to himself, "Sometimes, there isn't a way out."

He had no idea what he was going to do. He didn't know who he could even turn to (if anybody).

All Alvin knew was that tomorrow at school, he was going to be watching his brothers like hawks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello ladies and Gents! It's been a while since I've updated so I apolgize for the delay.**

**Firstly I want to extend my thanks to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate the time you took to do so!  
**

**Secondly, I still don't own the chipmunks.  
**

**Thirdly (and finally), if you are so inclined, please critique me (it's how I get better!) Enjoy!  
**

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While two chipmunks slept peacefully in their beds (one with peace of mind, the other burdened with exhaustion), one was tossing and turning. Alvin couldn't stop thinking about the daily tormenting that Simon had undergone for who knows how long. After three hours worth of dutiful attempts at sleep, he finally gave up and flipped on his light.

For the first time in his life, Alvin was legitimately frightened. Sure, when was younger he was deathly afraid of things that any sane child would be afraid of ( such as boogey men and homework); those fears however were of things that were superficial in nature. Never had he needed to feared something that could actually hurt him. His mind absolutely refused to stop creating vivid images; all of them involving his brothers coming to harm at the hands of some faceless group of people.

_He actually expects me to do _nothing_._

Alvin gritted his teeth and lay on his bed, glaring at the ceiling. Cleverness, in truth, was not his strong suit. He tried thinking of various modes of manipulation without having to resort to violence. Threats, blackmail, bribery and so forth. It didn't matter though, because every idea that he came up with resolved itself in his mind by painting a giant red target on the backs of his siblings. He was so desperate for ideas that he briefly considered throwing himself upon the mercy of his newfound enemies in exchange for the safety of his brothers.

Though he only considered it briefly.

Even Alvin knew that such an idea could never work. He just had a hard time imagining Simon's assailants being honest...or merciful. He thought over so many trash-worthy ideas while he secretly begged the cosmos to prevent tomorrow from ever coming.

He got up and opened his window, taking in the cool springtime air. As quietly as he could, he slowly climbed the pipe right outside his window that lead to the roof gutter. Once he reached the roof's apex, he sat down with his knees in his chest.

It was one of the few times he'd been up here without the company of his brothers.

Sometimes, they'd go up there and joke around as they tried to dodge their curfew. Other times, they'd confer with another about more serious topics. They didn't go up there often. Only when they felt like the timing was just right. When they were up there, didn't need things like pride and shame. All they needed was the courage to be as uncensored and honest with, and about, themselves as possible. When they sat on that roof, there was no one on the planet to whom they needed to answer but themselves.

Alvin stopped thinking about his predicament for just a little while. He sat there enjoying the night breeze and remembering all of the good times he'd shared with his brothers. For the first time in too long a while, he was allowed a smile. It faded quickly however once he realized that these good times were not meant to last. He knew it, his brothers knew it, and Dave _certainly_ knew it.

"Man, what a rotten couple of months." His soft voice in the dead silence of night still sounded to him like an explosion.

Alvin wanted to help his brother, but it was impossible to do without telling SOMEONE. He couldn't tell Dave, and couldn't tell the teachers (though Simon didn't really explain why). He couldn't help but feel a little powerless. Authority figures couldn't help him, and Simon had all but forbidden him to take any action,as though this forbidding would somehow bind him from protecting his brothers. Simon did have a good point though: His brother's needed him here. They all needed each other. The lengths to which Simon was willing to go to preserve those bonds were great and to Alvin, both extreme and unnecessary.

"There is _one_ person I can tell though." With a smile and a bit more hope now, he silent came down from the roof and re-entered his bedroom through his window.

He carefully crept down the moonlit hallway past Simon's room, to Theo's bright green door. Alvin gave the door the very lightest of knocks, praying that no one other than the intended recipient heard him. Dave would not take too kindly to his kid (who is supposed to be in bed by 9) creeping around with the appearance of being up to no good. He waited impatiently at the door though he dared not knock any louder. After about a million years of waiting, he moved to head back to his room when his younger brother _finally_ opened the door.

"Alvin..." Theo yawned, "...what are you do-"

The eldest quickly clamped his hand over Theodore's mouth, slipped past him into his room, and closed the door behind him.

Theo quickly yanked away Alvin's hand (he dared not guess where it had been). "Alvin, its 3 in the morning. What are you doing here?" He wanted his inquiry to be a bit more forceful, but the slight slurring of his words in combination with the fact that those very words were being said in between yawns made it practically impossible.

"I...kinda need your help with something. I wouldn't be here, if it weren't important."

After yawning yet again, the youngest gave Alvin a dubious look.

"Theo, I'm being serious!" He whispered.

"Alright, fine. What's so important that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

The question actually gave Alvin pause. He knew why he was there, but having to say the words out loud made him somehow feel useless. Like he should've been able to handle this on his own. "I-It's about Simon. Some guys have been roughing him up and its time we put a stop to it."

Theo took a moment to shake off the disbelief and stare into his brother's eyes. After a moment, he finally spoke. "You...aren't kidding are you?"

Alvin gave a look of confusion with slight irritation. "Do you really think I'd wake you up at 3 in the morning and make up some sob story about our brother for a prank?" When Theodore raised a finger to respond Alvin interrupted. "Alright never mind. Look, I think I have a plan that'll put an end to all of this, but I need your help."

"Well you can count me in, that's for sure. But how are you gonna do it without getting in trouble? Also I..." To Theo's embarrassment he realized something else. "...I'm no good at fighting." Having misinterpreted Alvin's expression of confusion as disgust, he quickly clarified.

"I-I mean if it'll protect Simon from those bullies I'll do it." Alvin was actually somewhat surprised by (and proud of) Theo's sudden burst of confidence and determination.

In the end though, Alvin simply shook his head. "Na, you won't have to do any fighting. The reason why Simon didn't tell any of us in the first place, was because he was trying to protect us. If everything goes according to plan, neither of us will be in _any_ sort of danger._" _

"Alright, so what about Simon?"Alvin knew the answer to this though he didn't like it one bit.

"I think it would be best if Simon didn't know about it. In order for this to work, he can't know a _thing_."

For the better part of an hour, they sat in Theo's room discussing the in's and out's of Alvin's strategy. By the end of it, the youngest realized why it was so important that Simon not know what was going on: He was a terrible actor, and quite frankly (usually to his credit) an even worse liar. The plan would only work if Simon "sold" the deception just right, and quite frankly in this case he was just too honest for his own good. Alvin also reminded himself that if Simon ever found out that he roped Theodore into a situation that was potentially dangerous (at least from Simon's point of view), he may as well start making his own funeral preparations now.

"I gotta say Alvin, I think this might work!" Alvin beamed with pride until Theo continued, "But what happens _after_ school? Dave knows I don't have anything going on at school today, so he's expecting me home right after school. You have detention, so its not like you can do anything."

He made a good point. There was no way he was going to be able to avoid it altogether. But if he could get out of it, even if only for a few minutes...

"You leave that one to me." Glancing over at Theo's clock, he saw that it was going on 4:30. _No time to finally sleep like the present._ Alvin got up and began stretching his way to the door.

"Alvin...please be extra careful tomorrow."

Alvin looked into his brother's pleading eyes but still managed to respond coolly. "Don't worry, it's not like it'll be my first fight." While his stature was certainly diminutive, he could handle his own. He made up for his lack of size with various... "equalizers" including but not limited to blunt objects and chairs.

Theodore rolled eyes and sighed. "I know it's not your first fight Alvin. The whole SCHOOL knows it wouldn't be your first." Sometimes Alvin's bravado could be a bit hard to take.

"What I mean is...try not to get caught. If you do get caught fighting , you aren't looking at suspension. They're gonna throw you out. Not to mention what Dave will do if HE finds out. Seriously Alvin," Theo made sure to look his brother right in the eye as he finished his sentence, "Be Careful."

Alvin nodded uncomfortably and made his way to his own room. Theo had every right to be nervous about this. There was a lot on the line after all. If it didn't work, no one even knew what the rest of their semester held for them. None of that mattered though. All that mattered was that their brother needed them.

* * *

The next morning proceeded much in the same way that they usually did. The boys got ready while Dave made breakfast, and everyone sat down for a hearty morning meal. While Simon sat silently at the table, Theodore and Alvin were actually talking. Nothing of importance to be sure, but they were talking and apparently, glad about it.

Dave still got the feeling that something was off. Even though it was clear that something was bothering Simon, he couldn't help but be grateful for the fact that at least two of the brothers were speaking to one another. He decided to let Theo and Alvin take over the table with their conversation, using it as a perfect opportunity to try and get a read on his tallest boy. Unfortunately, he was doing a stand up job avoiding eye contact with his caretaker.

Simon knew Dave was watching him. He could feel his caretaker's eyes boring into him from across the table. With his two brothers back on speaking terms with one another, it was no surprise to him that he stuck out like a sore thumb. Simon did his best to act natural, but he wasn't even able to look at Dave right now. How could he? His dishonesty was likely going to get him and his brother's hurt (though he would admit that Alvin's proclivity for fighting certainly did its part in painting a target on his back). He lied to Dave on multiple occasions and the only way to keep Dave from discovering his deceit was to keep on lying. Not to mention Dave's part in all of this. He had intentions of separating him from one of the only two people he's known longer than his caretaker.

Worst of all he was in danger at school, a stranger at home, and was completely without sanctuary from the two. It was definitely taking its toll.

The whole situation was a mess and Simon's mind was spinning just trying to figure out how things got so crazy in such an inordinately short period of time. As of late, it was something that occupied much of his thought even though he had decided already that the "how" was now irrelevant.

He looked over at his brothers out of the corner of his eyes with just a bit of resentment. He wished he could enjoy himself, if only for a little while. He had trouble actually remembering the last time he just sat down and enjoyed himself. Even homework wasn't enjoyable for him anymore. Each assignment was but a constant reminder of the hell he would have to endure the next day. Before he became completely lost in thought, he was brought back to the world of the living by the sound of his name.

"Simon."

Simon looked up from his cereal in a bit of a daze, shaking the cobwebs out of his head. "Yes Dave?"

Dave furrowed his brows in suspicion, "Are you okay? You seem kind of distracted."

The tallest simply adjusted his glasses. "Oh...heh...sorry. Just trying to get everything organized up here," he said tapping his forehead.

Before any of them knew it, it was time for the three brothers to begin their trek to school. As they made their way to the door, Alvin grabbed a duffel bag that lay near the base of the stairs.

"Whats in the bag?" Dave inquired. It was a fair question considering that Alvin was known for his trouble making skills. While he hated not trusting Alvin, he knew from experience that when it came to the eldest, anything out of the ordinary deserved some sort of investigation.

The suspicion with which Dave regarded him was nothing new, but he had to admit (if only to himself) that such a fact did not make it any less painful. Alvin managed to respond while deftly concealing his sadness, "It's just a bunch of my baseball stuff. That coach will not leave me alone about it. Since I'm not on the team any more," he spoke with but a hint of sadness, "I was just gonna return them."

After taking a moment to evaluate this, Dave stretched out his hand. "Just to be sure." With an eye roll and a sigh, he removed the strap from his shoulder and lay the bag at Dave's feet. Alvin wanted to be mad, but considering that he used a similar weapon to take out two would-be "bullies" Dave was right to be concerned. "Alright, but I want that returned first thing when you get there. You don't need any more bat "incidents".

He sighed yet again, "Yes Dave." He scooped up the bag and made his way to the door.

_Jeez, you hit one jerk, who deserved it, with a bat and you never live it down._

With that, the trio headed to school. Having made it with plenty of time to spare, Simon decided to make use of the library which left Alvin and Theodore alone long enough to make final preparations. "Okay," Theo began, "We know that I have 1st, and 3rd period with him, and you have 2nd and 4th period with him. So that's pretty easy. The only class that neither of us has with him is fifth period. It's not like we can follow him either. His class is on the other side of the school."

"Well that's not too big of a deal, I don't think they have enough time to harass him in between classes. I think he will be alright if we don't watch him for one class. Though I would be a lot more sure if I KNEW who we were looking for.

Theo nodded, "Yeah...Simon didn't say anything about who it was?"

Alvin simply shook his head. "He was afraid that I'd go out and do something stupid."

_Sometimes I wish that he wasn't so smart._

"Anyway," Alvin continued "I think they might be catching him after his study sessions. Those go real late, so it'd probably be easy to do without anyone seeing. So I think that-" The school bell rang, and with the chorus of groans that immediately followed, indicated that time for those two was up. "Alright, you got your phone?"

Theo pulled out his, "Check."

"And I've got mine." Now Alvin was more grateful than ever that this was the only electronic device that Dave let him keep following the cascade of punishments. "Hopefully we can catch these guys in the act and stop them before Simon gets hurt."

"Right. And if either of us see something weird, we'll let the other know. See ya at lunch." With that the two chipmunks parted ways brimming with determination and just a bit of fear.

* * *

Simon walked past the several bookshelves, finding a solitary place in the back of the library unaccosted by the presence of other people. He sat down at the table quietly tucked away where no light could find it. He sat down and removed his glasses, trying to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. Even fatigued, the strangeness of the day thus far had not escaped him.

_Since when did Alvin and Theo kiss and make up? I thought Theo was still mad at both of us._

He also thought it was strange that both of them were walking unusually close to him on the way to school. Never mind that there was plenty of sidewalk on either side of Simon for all three of them.

_And since when does Alvin care about what coach Geralt wants? He can't stand the guy...even when he WAS on the team they didn't really see eye to eye on anything. Wait... I thought Alvin was going to hold on to that stuff just to piss him off..._

His eyes slowly widened as he realized what was going on.

_I should've known! _

"Agh! Alvin!" He slammed his fist on the table and began to quickly walk to where he last saw his brothers. He didn't even make it to the door before the bell sounded.

_Why did I think I could trust him with this? Nows he gonna break somebody's kneecaps or something!_

Simon's stress levels were spiking as he made his way to class. His mind raced through all of the stupid things that Alvin would likely do despite his very short leash.

_Alright Simon, just calm down. He doesn't even know who it is. _

When he realized this, he suddenly became more relaxed. His breathing, along with his walking pace, slowed to a more comfortable rate. Unfortunately he would have to wait until lunch to have what would likely be a screaming match with Alvin, but honestly for Simon it couldn't come soon enough. The only thing he could hope for now was that Alvin wasn't selfish enough to con Theodore into helping him do his dirty work.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello folks! Its been quite a while since I've updated, so for that I apologise. Writer's block is no joke folks :)**

**Any how, I proudly present to you all, the seventh and final chapter of _I am the Good Guy._**

**I appreciate everyone who is still following and still commenting, your encouragement was integral to the completion of the story.**

**I don't own _The Chipmunks_.**

**Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

If looks could kill, then Alvin Seville's entrails would be strewn all across the class room. Simon was careful not to let on that he had any more knowledge than he had this morning. While he was leagues smarter than either of his brothers, when it came to Alvin, it wasn't enough to know that he had done something wrong. You had to prove it to him in a way that he could not plausibly deny it. In order to do this, he had to give Alvin the absolute smallest amount of time to think of a cover story.

So he simply waited. The clock mounted on the wall above the dry-erase board taunted him with what was likely the slowest minute hand in the county. Meanwhile, he glared at the back of his older brother who was sitting right in front of him with a passion that burned brighter than a thousand suns.

_It was like everything he said to him last night went in one ear and out the other!_

_I tell him not to do something stupid because of the overwhelmingly bad consequences and what does he do? Goes and creates a plan too stupid for words, and then ropes our younger brother into it!_

Never in his life had he wanted a class to come to an end so quickly. Usually he enjoyed Intro to European History, but today his fourth period class simply could not end fast enough. Simon couldn't have been more thankful with the bell's frantic ringing. Once Mr. Whittaker assigned homework for the night, Simon quickly gathered his things and made his way to the exit.

Alvin quickly and awkwardly slung his bag of his shoulders and followed suit. As soon as he stepped outside however, he found himself staring his much taller brother in the face. "Hello Alvin."

"Hey Si! Wassup!" Alvin cheerfully greeted, adjusting the way-too-large duffel bag slung around his shoulders.

Already he knew Alvin was in trouble. "Si" was typically reserved for situations in which he was extremely nervous. Poor Alvin probably didn't even realize he was giving himself away. He thought about taking the conversation elsewhere, but with their brother waiting on both of them and the nearest secluded area at least a 5 minutes walk away, Simon decided to instead settle for the privacy provided by the deafening sound of bustling students.

With a look as deadly serious as his tone, Simon finally addressed his brother. "I know what you're planning." He adjusted his glasses and sighed, performing what Alvin believed to be his best Dave Seville impression yet. "Furthermore, as your brother, I am obliged by my responsibility to uphold the goodness of our family name to remind you that what you plan to do is not only dangerous, but profoundly stupid!" With each word, Simon got closer to Alvin, eventually pressing him up against the wall adjacent to the classroom doorway. With each step, Simon's voice got louder and louder.

Alvin returned his younger brother's glare with impressive form. "What are you talking about?!"

Simon chuckled sardonically. "I constantly help you with homework. I routinely learn information _years_ above my grade! I even help DAVE balance his checkbook and you still seem perfectly content to think I'm an idiot!"

Alvin tightly gripped the strap on his bag. Simon was a lot of things. But today, he was just being a annoying. "You know what? Save your performance." He said, pushing past him. "I'm already late for meeting Theo a-"

"I thought you were going to return the bag "first thing". What happened?"

Alvin looked at the bag and realized how obviously out of place it was. "I didn't have time, so what?"

Simon gave a surprisingly calm and non-committal shrug in response, "I guess. Why aren't you doing it right now then?"

"Cause' he isn't in his office at lunch," he shot back. He didn't like where this was going, and he certainly wasn't pleased with the accusations that he'd had to endure thus far. "Furthermore," He continued, "I don't need him _bitching_ at me because I decided to leave his _precious_ equipment where someone could steal it!" Alvin finally turned to face Simon once more.

"Simon," Alvin started, looking at his brother plainly, "What's your deal?"

Simon didn't speak for a moment. He looked at his brother with frustration. He had already grown tired of Alvin's lies. As he began to speak, he realized something. Alvin wasn't looking at him with a similar anger. He had a look of...wait...inquisition? Why? If he's lying then why-

"Wait a minute..." Alvin said mostly to himself. He looked down at the bag, and in a dazzling display of mathematical aptitude, he put two and two together. "...You think I'm gonna go after them don't you?"

_Ya hit one guy with a bat (who, again, deserved it) and you never live it down._

"Simon, I don't even _know _who they are because you won't say anything!"

Simon in a flash of impetuousness, decided to really let his older brother have it.

" 'Won't say anything?' Really? You honestly believe I haven't? Alvin, I spent DAYS trying to get one of the teachers to listen to me. I even told the principal who decided that such "rough-housing" was just "boys being boys".

Alvin's heart began to sink. He completely misunderstood the situation. Simon wasn't cowering in fear. He went through all of the appropriate channels to resolve the situation. It's just that the people who were SUPPOSED to be helpful, weren't at all. While Alvin was no stranger to fighting (and to the surprise of many, _winning_) hopelessness descended upon him. After all, how was he supposed to stop these guys, if the very people to whom he was going to appeal, didn't care anyways? Was there even a way to do it without fighting?

"Alvin," Simon continued, reminding his older brother that he was indeed still in a conversation, "I don't expect you to understand." He spoke without a hint of bitterness, anger, or even arrogance. His words were only tinted by the sadness which accompanies any disappointing realization. "You don't have to deal with this. You've NEVER had to deal with this. Being an athlete certainly has its advantages after all. You could at least give me some credit though. Its just that every time I've tried to resolve this, the situation only got worse."

Alvin stared at his own feet and spoke in the now empty hallway in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "Just because I don't get bullied, doesn't mean I don't understand." As he raised his head, his voice rose with it. "How do you think I feel every time I have to explain myself to Dave? When I had to tell him _why_ I had detention for the rest of the year? Every single time I've EVER walked into the school office and tried to explain to them the words 'self defense'? Believe me, I know it sucks...when you're in a bad situation that you could get out of, if someone_...anyone_...would just_ listen _to you."

If prompted to comment, Simon would have to concede that those words made for the most profound and empathetic thing that Alvin Seville had ever said. Honestly, it was shocking. As they stood there, each of them felt oddly naked. Things which they had heretofore kept hidden from the world were now out in the open, and none of it could be taken back.

"Look Simon, I know I don't always make the best choices..."

_An understatement to be sure, _Simon thought to himself.

"...and I know you don't think you can trust with a lot of things, but trust me when I say that I would NEVER do something I thought would hurt you guys."

Simon looked into the eyes of his brother for a moment before he finally acquiesced. "Fine, you've made your point. I'm...sorry for doubting you." Alvin couldn't help but smile. With the tension all but dissipated, he was actually free to appreciate the rare instance of Simon actually being wrong. It was a guilty pleasure to be sure but an ultimately harmless one he had decided.

"It's alright. It's not like you were short on reasons to doubt me. Lets go, Theo's been waiting long enough."

* * *

There the three boys sat in a room which suddenly felt extremely crowded. The "seconds" hand on the clock just above the door way silently made its rounds while the three chipmunks waited for Dave's arrival. While the three boys couldn't hear much on their end, they could reasonably surmise that their caretaker was unhappy about receiving a call from their principal. The hard, cushionless wooden chairs did little to assuage the fear of impending doom as Mrs. Osgood took her time staring each of them down. It was 3 o'clock when Dave was called, so as the clock approached 3:30, they expected him to show up any minute.

Sitting across from the boys was a portly woman who appeared to be middle aged with vintage style glasses and black dress that was complimented by her necklace pendant that had (at least what looked like) an emerald. Her eyeglasses had a silver chain that looped around her neck, and connected on opposite sides of the rims of the glasses. Her desk was one over-sized vanity portrait. All of the pictures on her desk were of her performing various tasks and accepting various awards. It was all topped off with a gold name plate that adorned the front of her wooden desk that read 'Principal Beatrice Osgood'.

Theo never had a reason to be in the principal's office. As far as he was concerned if he never got to see the inside of it, it would be too soon. Saying that he was on edge was putting it lightly. Staying still for more than 30 seconds suddenly became a monumental task and he was pretty sure that the air in that room was making him nauseous.

_This is so embarrassing! Even worse than that time I said that the relationship between shear stress and shear rate was linear in non-Newtonian fluids!_ Simon thought to himself as he shook his head in silence.

_ 'Trust me', he said. "I would NEVER do something I thought would hurt you guys." Well maybe he forgot to add "suspension" to the list of possible detriments!_

Of course, he had to wonder whether or not Alvin actually lied to him when he said that he wasn't planning on going after his assailants, or whether or not he simply lost control of himself in the heat of the moment.

But as uncomfortable, and irritated as the two youngest were, their reaction paled miserably in comparison to Alvin's.

He was sweating profusely and practically hyperventilating. His eyes were darting from one end of the room to the other as if to find _any _way out while his mind was flying through the various consequences at breakneck speed.

_What the hell was I thinking? Now Daves gonna disown me, and once that jerk Renier gets out of the hospital he's gonna make my brothers lives living hells and no one will stop them cause the adults here are jerks and I'll probably have to eat gruel until I graduate and I won't see my brothers for years and-_

His bothers looked upon him, first with anger, and then with pity. They both knew that it was Alvin who stood to lose the most and they could both guess how this meeting was going to end.

Still they were brothers, and they both knew that no matter the trouble, they would all stick it out together. Theo put his hand only Alvin's right shoulder and Simon put his hand on Alvin's left. When the eldest looked up, he saw that on each side there was a brother smiling ever so slightly. For that brief moment, steeled by the support of his brothers, he felt like everything was going to be okay.

Then Dave walked through the door.

Mrs. Osgood stood to greet him. "Hello Mr. Seville, I apologize that we must, again, meet under such unpleasant circumstances."

He gracefully raised a pardoning hand and moved to take a seat next to Theodore. "No need to apologize Mrs. Osgood." Once he had gotten as comfortable as he believed he was going to get in a chair that may as well have been made of syringes, he spoke again. "So what is this I hear about my boys fighting?"

"Well, Mr. North was the one who brought it to my attention. He heard what sounded like arguing, an when he finally got close enough to see what was going on, he saw your... 'sons'... surrounding an injured boy. Alvin here," she sighed, gesturing in his general direction without actually looking at him, "apparently assaulted another student with a baseball bat, breaking his leg." Dave would've worn his incredulous look, were it not the case that something similar to this had already happened before.

Mrs. Osgood took her glasses off and set them aside. "Mr. Seville, I'll be blunt. I simply cannot have this sort of behavior in my school. I cannot have a students, who seem to think that because they're famous, they can get away with whatever they want. As a result," She now turned to poor Alvin who was still a nervous wreck, "you Alvin Seville are hereby expelled. And you two," she said looking over at his younger siblings "are receiving a two weeks suspension and detention for the rest of the semester."

While he knew that only expulsion awaited him after pulling the stunt he pulled, the mere idea of his brothers being punished for a mistake that he and he alone made was enough to drag from his terror-induced catatonia.

"No..." Alvin said, as though he were stirring from a dream.

Mrs. Osgood glared at Alvin. "I beg your pardon?"

He managed to find his voice in his outrage. "I said 'no'. I'm not gonna let you punish my brothers because of something I did!"

"Alvin, you and your brothers, assaulted another student on school grounds. Did you honestly think that I would just...oh what is that phrase you kids like to use? 'Let it slide'"?

"I was the only one who did any 'assaulting' and if it were up to me I would've broken every bone in his body for what YOU let him do to my brother!"

Theodore immediately stood to rally behind his brother, "And what about that other guys? Are they gonna get expelled for all of the times that they bullied Simon?!"

Dave was actually surprised at his sons' outburst. "Alvin, Theodore, that's enough!"

Alvin was on a roll though, and would not be stopped by mere authority figures. "That jerk has been bullying my brother for who knows how long! And when my brother came you YOU," he said while pointing an accusatory finger at Mrs. Osgood, "you didn't do ANYTHING. What was the phrase? 'Boys being boys' was it?"

She gave Alvin a venomous glare. "How dare you accuse me of not doing my job, you little miscreant."

"AND I can prove it. Simon." He looked to the tallest, and prayed that he would throw him a line.

Simon looked at Dave, then his brothers, and finally Mrs. Osgood.

He stood up and slowly peeled of his sweater, holding it in his left hand. Dave and Theo looked at their now shirtless kin as though captivated by a car crash. They saw various greasy looking dark spots on just about every part of his body that could be covered by a turtleneck. It made them sick, but they couldn't look away. They watched on as his battered torso silently conveyed his story.

"Unfortunately, Alvin's not lying. I told a number of different teachers, and as Alvin has already said, Mrs. Osgood as well. None of them did anything and..." He stopped just long enough to keep his composure "_this_ is the result. It happened just about every day. "

Dave honestly couldn't remember a time (recent or otherwise) when he was as livid as he was then.

"Boys grab your things," he said giving Mrs. Osgood a look of disgust, "we're leaving."

As Dave was exiting, his boys right ahead of him, he stopped walking long enough to address her once more. He looked over is shoulder, not bothering to turn around completely.

"Don't get too comfortable in that chair _principal,_ you won't be occupying it for much longer if I have anything to say about it." With the slam of a door, Dave and his boys were gone.

The short drive home was completed in total silence. No one dared so much as cough while in the car. None of the three boys had ever seen Dave this angry. No, Dave wasn't angry.

He was _pissed. _It was a type of displeasure that didn't just make rectification appropriate, it was demanded and absolutely non-negotiable. Being the songwriter and manager for The Chipmunks definitely gave him a lot of strings to pull. He would pull every single one if he had to in order to put that half-baked excuse for a principle out of a job. Her ineptitude put his son in danger and that simply was unacceptable.

In short order, they arrived and piled out of the Coup De Ville (or as Dave liked to call it much to the embarrassment of his sons, the "Coup Seville"). The boys made sure to pile out quietly and after Dave had already exited the car. Once the front door shut behind them none of them were sure what to do. Ultimately, they decided that it might be best to give their father a bit of space, so they began to head upstairs. Without turning around, Dave carelessly threw his jacket on the couch and called to his sons. "Boys?" Without another word, he simply pointed to the kitchen table.

They all knew better than to protest in any way. Each of them walked over and took a seat leaving only one chair vacant.

David slowly circled the table, taking in each of their attempts to avoid his gaze. After taking a couple of minutes to make sure that he was going to be able to avoid overreacting. He didn't want to upset them, but he needed to be absolutely sure that they understood that this was completely unacceptable.

He sighed, "Alright, there's something that I think we need to discuss right now. When we were in the office, I couldn't help but notice that you two," he stopped to point and Alvin and Theodore, "knew a lot more about this than I did, which was nothing. Why is that?"

His focus now oscillated between the three of them, making it clear that his question was not rhetorical.

It was Theodore who, against his better judgment, spoke first. "Well uh...Dave...uh...I found out only yesterday and...um..."

Simon decided to spare Theo further anxiety and embarrassment. "It's okay Theo, I'll take it from here." For the first time since they left the office, Simon looked at Dave face to face. "It was my fault Dave. I...When it first started happening, I thought that they would _eventually_ get bored and leave me alone. When that didn't happen, I tried to bring it to the attention of the faculty. That's about when my assailants they told me that he would have me and my brothers "eating through tubes" if I kept it up. Nobody really seemed to take my grievances seriously, and since no one seemed to care and I would only do harm by telling more people, I just...gave up. I was afraid that if you went up there and had a talk with the principal, they would find out."

"Alvin also knew, but I told him more or less what I just told you, so he was similarly bound to a form of silence." He then lowered his head. "It's also the reason why I started coming home later. After school was when they would usually get me. I lied about the tutoring sessions, in an attempt to keep all of this a secret." He quietly chuckled bitterly, "It obviously had limited effectiveness. I'm sorry for lying to you. I didn't think that the situation was going to get this out of hand."

Dave pondered on this for a moment before he spoke. "Simon I know its a tough situation to be in. I definitely had my share of bullies growing up, but I want you..." he said, taking care to make eye contact with each of them ,"...all of you to know that you can trust me with stuff like this. There is nothing more important to me than your guys' safety."

Each of them couldn't help but feel a little foolish. Dave wasn't some automaton that was completely inflexible. He knew his way around delicate situations and he was certainly no stranger to the cruelty that children could exhibit. They decided to not include the only adult who actually cared about them beyond their career, and they all paid quite dearly.

After giving his boys a few moments to think about what he said, he continued. "Simon, Theodore, I need you guys to go upstairs. I need to speak to Alvin in private."

Each of the boys gave each other nervous, knowing glances. They didn't want to leave. Alvin got expelled for defending them. There was a very good chance. that one of the boys that made Simon's school life a living hell, would never walk the same. The least they could do was try to be here for him during this moment.

"Dave...if it's alright with you, and if its okay with Alvin, we'd like to stay."

Dave gave a most inquisitive look, and turned to Alvin.

Alvin gave a quick glance to his brothers, and gave Dave a slight nod.

"Alright. Alvin I'll be blunt. Your behavior these past few months has been absolutely off the wall. I've told you many times that you can't simply hit people just because you're mad. You have responsibilities. Not just to your brothers, who have already begun to feel the effects of your actions by now, but to yourself. This latest incident is the worst by far. You assaulted, and seriously injured, someone else. Now I understand the circumstances were...extenuating..."

Alvin's face wrinkled in confusion, "Extra-what?"

"He's saying that he knows the situation was unusual." Simon interjected.

"Yes," Dave continued. "But that doesn't make your behavior okay. Honestly, I've tried get you to talk to me about it. But since you can't, or won't, I can't help you. So in short, my hand is kinda forced. I have no choice but to send you some place that can help you."

Theo's eyes widened. _He's actually going to do it!_

"Dave!" Theo cried, "You don't have to send him away! He can change!" He said while clinging to Dave's pant leg.

Dave actually took a quick look around to see if he was the only one confused. Sure enough, he was. "Theo, what are you talking about?"

Simon, again, intervened. "Dave, we found a pamphlet for a boarding school. We...know you were considering sending Alvin there."

Dave had to think back just to remember that he had even gotten the thing. "Simon...how did you guys come into possession of something that was in my room without me knowing?"

Each of the boys began casting nervous glances at one another. Simon somehow managed to forget that he practically stole it from Dave's room. After waiting a few moments and not receiving any sort of answer, Dave continued. "Well, it looks like we'll need to have a discussion about respecting the privacy of others as well. Anyway, that was something that Mrs. Osgood recommended to me. She seemed strangely adamant about it. While I did consider it, I know that this isn't what's best for you Alvin...and its not what's best for Simon or Theodore.

"Anyway, what I was going to say was that I know a counselor who specializes in this sort of thing. I want you to give her a shot."

Alvin could not have been more relieved. He allowed a smile to creep on his face and he even laughed a little. He would have to move, and he wouldn't have to miss his brothers and we would have to eat gruel and wear a stupid uniform!"

"Dave," Alvin ventured warily, "what if it doesn't work? What if she can't help me figure out what's wrong?"

"Then we keep trying different things until something works." He replied, plainly. "Alvin,We're a family. We don't just give up on each other because the going is a little tough. We stick together. It's what we've always done, and as long as I have anything to say about it, it's what we'll always do."

As Alvin heard these words, he began to tear up.

Being thirteen didn't really lend itself to tears very well, but Alvin Seville couldn't care less.

He didn't care if it made him look 'weak' or 'uncool'. He had so much to be happy about. He had his brothers, and his father wasn't throwing him away. In fact, he was doing the exact opposite. Alvin had never been so happy to be so way off base in his entire life. Gradually, each of them came in for a giant hug from their caretaker. As they stood in the center of the kitchen in one another's arms, they let themselves and each other enjoy the warmth of their familial bonds for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. It was Dave who spoke first once their hug had ended.

"And before I forget..."

They all looked up at him, being sure to hang on his every word.

"...all three of you are grounded for sneaking into my room and taking what wasn't yours."

Immediately the kitchen erupted, turning into a mosh pit of blame deflection and self-absolution.

_Well, _Dave though, _at least things are getting back to normal._

* * *

Even though the drive only lasted about an hour, Alvin was sound asleep. It was surprising that he even needed to sleep considering how much of it he had gotten over the past few days, but it wasn't an issue Dave felt was worth belaboring. Alvin woke up just as they were finally pulling into Mistfield township.

With a yawn and a stretch of his arms and legs, he peered out the window. The town was definitely more rural than he was used to. There were no bustling crowds or bumper to bumper traffic. They passed several things that the city just didn't have like a couple of Mom & Pop general stores as well as a movie theater that DIDN'T take up an entire city block. When they had finally arrived at their destination, Alvin was surprised to find that the building was strangely nondescript.

They walked in and after Dave signed roughly a dictionary's pages worth of paper work, the counselor at long last made an appearance. "David? Glad you could make it."

"How's it going Jennifer? It's been too long." He extended his hand while Alvin was perfectly content to remain invisible.

"Things have been going pretty well. I'm constantly busy, but you know what they say about idle hands and such." They both share a chuckled until, at the same time, they realized why they were both here.

"Who do we have here?" Alvin took this as his cue to turn on the old 'Alvin Charm'.

"You can call me Al," he said with a wink. After a very conspicuous throat clear from Dave however, he saw fit to amend his introduction. "Er, I mean my name's Alvin Seville."

"Much better." Dave said with a deadpan expression.

Jennifer looked at her watch and remember that she was on a bit of a schedule. "Well Dave it's time for us to get started as it is almost three. I'll see you at 4, okay?"

"Excellent, I'll just take in the sites until then. Good luck Alvin." He said with a nod to his oldest son. With that, he made his departure.

After walking in and getting seated, Jennifer explained to him how the session would proceed. Once she got that out of the way, she gave the floor to him.

_Alright Alvin, you can do this. No big deal. All I have to do is talk. All she had to do is listen. Okay...lets do this._

* * *

**First off I want to say 'thanks' to everyone who read my story. I wasn't sure if anyone would give a damn, but your continued encouragement put that fear to rest._  
_**

**So this is the end of I am the good guy. I'm not sure what I want to do next. I've considered doing a sequel of sorts to this. Maybe following him to his sessions? Not sure at this point though, lemme know what you think!**


End file.
